Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although classic routine service is designed to keep your Acura RDX running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has made this article to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Acura RDX . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Acura RDX? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Acura RDX
So we start our article content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Acura RDX . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. In actual fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important breakdown. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. In actual fact, the action of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Acura RDX. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
- The accessory belt: Although rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is mainly done of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Acura RDX.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Acura RDX that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might think will bring about the plastic parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be affected by this phenomenon. The rubber will disintegrate little by little and with the rise in heat of the fluid that circulates in it, it might melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Acura RDX’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that might have been bent might rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Acura RDX?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Acura RDX . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your problem quickly. If your Acura RDX smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Acura RDX.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to change it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Acura RDX, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
In the event that you have any additional questions about the Acura RDX, do not hesitate to consult our Acura RDX category.
